good morning. too hot to handle. that dangerous heat wave gripping much of the nation this morning. 32 states under a heat advisory. millions looking for a way to stay cool. when will it end? al has some answers. all the way to the top. britain's prime minister forced to testify before parliament today in connection with that tabloid phone-hacking scandal. a day after rupert murdoch denied any knowledge of wrongdoing. his testimony interrupted by a protester with a pie. and swept away. three hikers feared dead after reportedly getting caught in a dangerous current and pulled over a big waterfall at yosemite

national park. and searchers are out looking for their bodies today wednesday, july 20th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. as you see, it's 76 degrees already at 7:00 a.m. here in new york city. and new york is one of 32 states under a heat advisory warning today. >> i think you can see that shot from above, the haze that's hanging over the city. apparently a lot of the country is trapped inside what people are calling a heat dome. inside that dome temperatures in the 90s and 100s in areas that aren't used to getting that hot. now you throw humidity on top of that, and there is simply no way to escape.

how long will all this last? we'll check in with al roker on that in just a moment. then we're going to talk about the woman who can really pack a punch. we're talking about wendy murdoch, the wife of rupert murdoch. she was the first person to leap to her husband's defense when a protester tried to hit him in the face with a pie as he was testifying in front of parliament about that phone-hacking scandal. who is she, and what do her actions say about her? we'll get into that. ichbl and i may be holding a delectable dessert, but we'll be talking about restaurant chains that sell meals and desserts like this that can give you an entire day's worth of calorie and fat in one sitting. >> i know. and it looks really enticing. >> you shouldn't drink it, but on a day like today, you put it on your forehead. it's nice. on that point, let's go directly to al for a check of today's weather. hey, al. >> in fact, on the map, you get an idea, when you say 32 states, we're talking about 100 million people. almost two-thirds of the

population of the united states under either a heat watch, a heat warning or a heat advisory. and here's why. we've got this big area, upper-level ridge of high pressure. but here's the other factor, the humidity levels, much higher. why? because of all the spring flooding. the soil is saturated. and this heat is now releasing that moisture. it's moving up into the atmosphere. and that's why we have such high humidity levels which add to the heat indexes, making them so dangerous. look at these temperatures. des moines today, 101 in kansas city, 102 in little rock. philly will get to 94. you add in that humidity, and we're looking at heat indices, 115 in minneapolis. it will feel like 100 in philadelphia. 109 in indianapolis. 115 in chicago. and we really don't get much relief. a little cold front will drop down, bring a storm to the northern tier for a day. then the heat's right back. this will continue to expand out

and eastward. we're in the thick of this. these advisories and watches go out at least three days. >> thanks very much. meantime, the british parliament is trying to get to the bottom of that phone-hacking scand scandal, calling rupert murdoch to testify. his testimony interrupted with a protester with a pie. nbc's stephanie gosk is in london. stephanie, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. it's another special session of parliament today. british prime minister david cameron cutting his africa trip short to come back and face parliament. but don't expect the same kind of drama we saw here yesterday. like one of the celebrities that fill his tabloids, rupert murdoch and his son, james, are making splashy headlines today. nearly every british paper seizes on the drama of the day. the so-called humble pie attack. seated behind him at the hearing, rupert murdoch's wife, wendy, turned into a bodyguard,

springing to his defense, wielding an instinctive and accurate punch. >> your wife has a very good left hook. >> reporter: behind it, comedian johnny marbles. father and son sat side by side for three hours, apologizing over and over. >> this is the most humble day of my life. >> i would like to say as well just how sorry we are to particularly the victims of illegal voice mail interceptions. >> reporter: but at no point during the hearing did either murdoch accept responsibility for phone hacking at "news of the world." >> do you accept ultimately you are responsible for this whole fiasco? >> no. >> you are not responsible? >> the people that i trusted to run it and then maybe the people they trusted. >> reporter: from the beginning, james took the lead. >> i think my son can perhaps answer that. >> reporter: at times jumping in to help when his 80-year-old

father searched or stumbled for the answers. >> mr. john chapman. >> reporter: the parliament committee had hoped to get answers to specific detailed questions about the phone hacking, but often the head of news corp. and his deputy chief operating officer either didn't know or weren't saying. >> i have no knowledge. >> i cannot -- i don't know. >> reporter: james defended executives les hinton and rebekah brooks who resigned from their positions last friday, both formerly led the british newspaper. later in the day brooks faced questions by herself from the same panel. she was arrested on sunday over allegations of phone hacking and payments to police for information. she, too, denies any wrongdoing or any knowledge of wrongdoing. >> i have never paid a policeman myself. >> reporter: but for the murdochs, the day was not just about defending themselves. they were trying to salvage the reputation of news corp. >> "the news of the world" is less than 1% of our company. i employ 53,000 people around

the world. >> reporter: in the two weeks, the second largest media company in the world has come under withering attack. >> and it is our determination to both put things right, make sure these things don't happen again. >> reporter: it is believed that james wants the top job at news corp. himself, but for the moment that position isn't open. >> mr. murdoch, have you considered resigning? >> no. >> why not? >> because i feel that people i trusted have let me down. i'm the best person to clean this up. >> reporter: the murdochs were specifically asked if reporters at "news of the world" hacked the cell phones of 9/11 victims. rupert murdoch answered that question himself. he said, "i have seen no evidence that that took place." matt? >> all right, stephanie gosk in london this morning, stephanie, as always, thank you very much. michael wolff is the editorial director of "adweek" magazine. and martin bashir is host of

"the martin bashir show" on msnbc. good morning to both of you. yesterday you said you thought there was the potential for a complete meltdown on the part of rupert murdoch. you watched the testimony as everyone else did. did he help or hurt himself with members of parliament and shareholders in his company? >> he held a certain kind of ground here. and he did it in a very by-the-book way. what he and his son did was stonewall. they went up there. they said they knew nothing. it was everybody else's fault. they were apart from whatever went on. it was the classic legalistic defense. >> were they a good team? did they complement one another? at times rupert was at a loss for words. at other times he was banging his hand on the table showing emotion. james seemed to be more detailed in, although he said i'm not a lawyer, he sounded like a lawyer at times. how did they do with one another? >> i think the lasting impression was rupert is too

hold. james is too young. rupert doesn't know what's going on because he's in a fog, actually, is what it seems. >> is that fair or is it because, as he kept saying, this is a vast company with 53,000 employees, and you can't know what each one of them is doing? >> on this point i can speak at a personal experience. i sat with rupert murdoch for nine months several times a week. much of that time as i sat there, he took calls from his papers in london. this is what this man lives for. >> so you are saying he is more connected, in your opinion, to this company and all of its aspects than he let on yesterday? >> absolutely. and i don't know anyone involved in the company who didn't watch that and was -- with a slight guffaw. >> martin, one of the things that struck me the most, the moment when one of the members of parliament asked him, do you think you're responsible? i'm paraphrasing here. but rupert murdoch said no. he thought for a second, then said no.

he said, "it was the people i trusted and perhaps the people they trusted." now, in all my years interviewing politicians, presidents, corporate ceos in crisis, they almost always say, you know what? it happened on my watch. i am ultimately responsible. we didn't hear that from rupert murdoch. >> no, we didn't. and it was interesting because this is probably one of the few occasions in life where being 80 years old was actually beneficial because he seemed like a very old, frail man on occasions. and yet remarkably held very clearly to two truths that he maintains. first, that he knew nothing about illegal phone hacking, that he knew nothing about the procurement by private detectives of records stolen on behalf of the newspaper. and he also says he knew nothing about the illegal payment of police officers. and yet at the same time, he says he knows nothing about the interactions of his journalists. one of the interesting things is if you read the autobiography

and diaries of piers morgan, he was the editor for 18 months. he spoke to rupert murdoch once a week every week for 18 months. and as michael was just saying, it's provoked something of, i guess, mild hilarity amongst journalists that this man was claiming that he knew nothing. remember, matt, this newspaper produced some of the most spectacular, superlative, sensational stories that one can imagine. >> so martin -- >> knowing how much he loves journalism -- >> if the responsibility doesn't lie with rupert murdoch and it doesn't lie with james murdoch and rebekah brooks took the stand or testified later on and said she had no knowledge, if this bolder responsibility keeps rolling downhill, who eventually gets crushed by it? >> well, at the moment it appears to be the police, first of all, because they are being criticized by two committees in the house of commons, condemned, frankly. the most senior police officer in the united kingdom has

resigned, sir paul stevenson, the second most senior police officer, john yates, has resigned. and then we have a number of journalists, two of whom have already been to prison, eight of whom have been arrested. but at the moment, none of the senior management of news corp. has been pursued by anyone. and that remains, as you said earlier, remarkable. >> michael, let's go to this moment. it was the video of the afternoon, this protester, this guy, johnny marbles, coming up with a shaving cream pie to attack murdoch. do you think this was the ultimate embarrassment at the end of a humiliating day, or in some ways does this turn rupert murdoch into the victim? you feel sorry for this guy? >> this was the saving grace. before this i speculated that there would be some great diversionary moment. and this certainly seemed like it. it was -- >> are you alleging some conspiracy here? >> that this was a murdoch prank on the order of all murdoch pranks, or as they say in the

business, this is the ultimate murdoch wood? no, i'm not. if they had thought of it, it would have been the perfect thing to think of. >> so he comes across as a sympathetic character after that event? >> and it also puts the focus on somebody else in the family. it puts the focus on wendy. it was a moment that i'm sure right now they are saying, we are lucky people. >> martin, real quickly, i've only got ten seconds left. i need you to help me on this. this idea that rupert murdoch says i'm the best person to clean this up, meaning this scandal and this mess. you think shareholders and his board of directors will agree with him? >> i don't think they will ultimately, but in the short term, i think the company is so toxic that they'd rather he stayed in that position and rode this out. but remember, there are something like three separate criminal inquiries into what's been going on. i suspect that in 18 months'

time, rupert murdoch won't be in the position that he's in today because by then these inquiries will come home to roost. there will be prosecutions. and people will be sent to jail. >> martin bashir -- >> i give them till the end of december. what did they know? when did they know it? >> michael wolff, martin bashir, thanks to both of you. 14 minutes after the hour. catch "the martin bashir show" on msnbc weekdays at 3:00 p.m. now to washington and that fierce fight over raising the debt ceiling. is there a light at the end of the tunnel? our political director and chief white house correspond echentcok todd. chuck, good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> well, the president, as you know, is endorsing this emerging bipartisan so-called gang of six plan. promising? >> well, it's promising in this respect, is that it's clearly a vehicle to do a big deal on deficit reduction at some point this year. but this is not going to be the piece of legislation that raises the debt ceiling.

time is running out on that front. even the president yesterday, when he came out, endorsed it, hinted at that which is why this backdoor legislative gymnastic deal that mitch mcconnell and harry reid are coming up with is still going to be the thing that raises the debt ceiling. but this -- you know, one of the reasons the president endorsed this, conservative oklahoma senator tom coburn endorsed it in the morning. two hours later the president did. the closest friend in the republican party the president has is tom coburn, ann. >> okay. now, at the same time, according to this new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll, while 55% of americans believe not raising the debt ceiling would be a, quote, real and serious problem, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on just exactly what washington should do, chuck. >> well, there isn't. now, when we presented them the two options being debated last week, the president's idea of this $4 trillion which is similar to gang of six, a $4 trillion mix of some tax hikes plus some cuts and reforms to entitlements like medicare and social security versus a

cuts-only approach that house republicans were pitching, it was a landslide as far as what the public preferred. 58% preferring the president's vision on that front versus 36% on theirs. so this is a case where the president and the white house, they're seeing the same numbers. and that's why they jumped so quickly and so fast on this gang of six proposal. >> okay. but it's interesting because there's so much writing on this in terms of, you know, when you polled and you asked people who gets the blame if there isn't a deal if the debt ceiling is not raised. let's take a look at the numbers. >> it is. and that's a mixed bag. 35% would blame the president and democrats. 39% would blame republicans. but, you know, most of this poll shows that the middle of the country and a majority of americans basically don't like the republican position on this debt plan. but who does like the republican position right now on all of these fronts and, you know, sticking to their guns on taxes? tea party supporters. and that is why you're seeing

republicans, they're caught between their tea party supporters who want them to do one thing and frankly independents who want them to do another. in 2010, ann, independents and tea party supporters were on the same page. they were all angry at the president and democrats. they're not on the same page on this debt plan. >> very true words. chuck todd, thanks so much. 7:17. once again here's matt. >> thank you very much. congresswoman michele bachmann is surging in the early presidential polls, but today she's facing some questions about her health and how it might affect her campaign and possible presidency. kelly o'donnell's nbc's capitol hill correspondent. good morning. >> good morning, matt. michele bachmann is somewhere between contender and front-runner and with that comes negative attention and stories. sometimes they have refused to comment about some of that criticism. but when it came to her health, she responded quickly. >> don't give up! >> reporter: this time the questions have nothing to do with her politics.

>> i prescribe medication that i take on occasion whenever symptoms arise, and they keep my migraines under control. >> reporter: a report on michele bachmann's struggle with migraines is a political headache on the campaign trail. >> but i'd like to be abundantly clear, my ability to function effectively will not affect my ability to serve as commander in chief. >> reporter: in south carolina on tuesday -- >> this is a bold step. >> reporter: -- bachmann faced questions about that report saying her migraines can be, quote, incapacitating. a conservative website the daily caller based its story on accounts from aides. >> the headaches have resulted in her going to the hospital at least three times that we know of. and in one case, she missed congressional vote because she was hospitalized. >> reporter: bachmann chose to take it head on insisting migraines do not harm her candidacy. >> since entering this campaign for the presidency, i have

maintained a full schedule. >> reporter: strong said his unnamed sources have their own political agenda. >> these are republicans who worried that barack obama could skate away with re-election if this blew up during the general election campaign. >> reporter: campaigning last summer, bachmann's hometown paper said she was hospitalized briefly with an undisclosed illness. tuesday she tried to offer an upbeat spin making this about public education rather than damage control. >> the many questions i have received have allowed me to discuss this important condition that impacts many americans and individuals in nearly one in four american households. >> reporter: doctors say migraines are common and treatable with medication but can be brought on by stress. >> the body is telling you you need sleep or needing to eat or needing to reduce the stress levels. >> reporter: and that's where the politics comes in. >> it goes to the heart of the question of her ability to

serve. and her condition may not be a problem, or it may be a big problem. that's why she has to come clean. >> and the health of canned ddi is often a sunl of campaigns. i was in the room when medical records were shown for john mccain or john kerry, but it usually doesn't happen this early. bachmann and her campaign say they may be pressured to provide more information like what types of medications she takes, but they say it's not an issue now. matt? >> kelly o'donnell reporting from washington, thanks very much. a check of the rest of the day's top stories. we have savannah guthrie filling in for natalie. >> in the news this morning, the search resumes for the bodies of three hikers believed to have been swept away by a waterfall at yosemite national park. nbc's george lewis is there this morning. george, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah, from in front of yosemite falls, the search is being centered in a more remote location, vernal fall, where the two men and a woman are believed

to have plunged 300 feet. so far no survivors and no bodies. yosemite's many waterfalls are putting ontacular show this summer from record winter snowfall. >> this year yosemite national park area received 199% of normal snow pack. what that leads us to is high water. >> reporter: it also led to tragedy when some hikers decided to dip their feet in the water at the top of vernal fall. >> it was just -- it was just -- i was shocked. i mean, to see people fall from that high and the current. >> reporter: news anchor faith sidlow of nbc station ksee in fresno, california, says one of her friends saw the two men and a woman fall. >> my friends said that there were so many people who were up there that saw this happen, and all of them, men, women, everybody was crying. >> reporter: the river currents below all the falls in yosemite

are especially treacherous this year because of all the runoff. park officials say visitors underestimate the strength of the rushing water. at least eight people have died in the park this year. authorities are still calling this a search and rescue operation, although the odds of finding anybody alive seem rather slim this morning. savannah? >> nbc's george lewis at yosemite, thank you. a 20-day government shutdown in minnesota is nearing an end as lawmakers approved a budget deal early this morning. the state will get back up and running as soon as the governor signs on. it's the last full day in orbit for nasa's shuttle "atlantis." this morning commander chris ferguson talked to nbc about the shuttle program's legacy. >> as the space shuttle does retire, and we hate to see it go, we know it's leaving an incredible lasting legacy. and of that we're extraordinarily proud. and the space shuttle program should be extraordinarily proud of what it's left behind. >> well, the crew is expected to touch down here on earth

tomorrow. it's now 7:22. back to ann, matt and al. and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you. coming up, the big fake. a joke played on the media hot on the trail of casey anthony. so where is she? we'll get into that in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead, are you your child's worst nightmare? we'll look at why parents can be so embarrassing to their kids. plus this morning, extreme eating. the popular restaurant meals that can give you a full day' >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. time for a check on the morning commute. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> still tracking closures on southbound 32 and clarksville at linden church road. southbound lanes remain blocked with an accident. take ten oaks road as your alternate. this one looks like it is gone.

the little bit of a delay starting on the outer loop west side. right around liberty to its i- 70, and on southbound 95 on white marsh, tapping the brakes towards the beltway northeast. nothing major on the rest of the major roadways. we are moving well towards the tunnel. here is a quick live look outside. at frederick, coming toward us, outer loop traffic building and those delays falling into place on the southwest side. will switch to a live view of traffic in the area of sandy point. so far so good to and from the bay bridge. ava has more on the forecast. >> dangerous heat wave continues towards the midwest. temperatures are a little above normal. with the humidity, a good feel like it is 100 degrees outdoors. mostly sunny skies, isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. as we look at the seven-day forecast, it is going to be high. upper 90s thursday through

saturday. hazy, hot and humid each day. we have an isolated chance for thunderstorms friday afternoon to. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back in 25 minutes with another live update.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, july 20th, 2011. another hot one here in the big apple and all around the nation as well. al is going to have more on that story coming up in just a few moments. meantime, back inside studio 1a, i'm ann curry along with matt lauer. and coming up, you know, you know that they're an indulgence when you order them, but do you know how many calories and how much fat and sodium you're consuming -- >> what is that? >> i know, look at that. i can't even tell you what that is. these are some of the meals from your favorite restaurant chains. and the question is, which one of them have won extreme eating

awards including a fried cheese melt that's equal to eating two personal pan pizzas. maybe that's what that is. there this morning. anyway, we're going to get into that this morning. >> i've got to get one of those. then also, the question, who is wendy murdoch? she is the wife of rupert murdoch and the mother of two of his children. and man, she can pack quite a punch. she leapt to her husband's defense on tuesday when someone hit him with a shaving cream pie. we'll have much more on her coming up. and a little later, what to do if your kids complain that you >>. first, casey anthony and the continuing speculation about where she might be now that she's a free woman. nbc's kerry sanders has been tracking her movements. and he's in prescott, arizona, this morning. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. flight records show that a plane belonging to one of casey anthony's former attorneys left orlando early sunday morning shortly after she was released from jail.

and that plane was headed from florida to california. but it made a short stop here in prescott, arizona, this tiny little airport. the ground crews here tell nbc news what seemed odd, the plane touched down here, but the pilot did not need to refuel. he was simply on the ground here long enough to let somebody get off. >> breaking news. is this casey anthony? that is the question. >> reporter: the hunt to find casey anthony took a comical turn on tuesday. >> people are speculating that yes, that is casey anthony. >> reporter: a circus of news cameras rushed to orlando's executive airport. after a tip the plane belonging to casey anthony's former attorney had landed again with her on board. >> breaking news in the casey anthony story. >> reporter: on twitter, "the orlando sentinel" tweeted, i guess this answers everyone's question, casey anthony is back home in orlando. but it would turn out the woman was not casey.

reportedly it was all a joke. played on reporters by the plane's crew. >> we the jury find the defendant not guilty. >> reporter: even after the verdict, the two sides are still fighting. on tuesday the prosecution denied accusations that it withheld evidence from the defense about searches for chloroform done on the anthonys' home computer. >> how many times was that site visited? >> according to the history, 84 times. >> reporter: computer programmer jon bradley's software revealed the damning evidence. but after he testified, bradley tells nbc news he checked the results and discovered a software glitch. there was but one search for chloroform, not 84. defense attorney jose baez tells nbc news prosecutors never told him when they found that out, as required by law. but in a statement issued tuesday, the orange county state attorney's office said all of this information was disclosed to the defense in a timely manner. former federal prosecutor kendall coffey.

>> prosecutors want to win, but they have to do it the right way. and that means a duty to turn over evidence that's helpful to the defense even if that causes the prosecutor to lose the trial. >> reporter: as both sides continue to spar outside the courtroom, we still do not know where casey anthony is. she could be at one of several mental health facilities that are not far from this location here. her lawyers certainly say she needs attention after spending three years solitary in a jail cell, or she could be in california at the beach. we just don't know. and her attorneys tell me they'd like to keep it that way. a secret. ann? >> we'll see how long that secret lasts. kerry sanders, thank you so much. and now here's matt. >> thank you very much. now to a mystery in california. the wealthy ceo whose girlfriend and son both died within the last week in separate incidents inside his oceanfront mansion. nbc's miguel almaguer is in coronado. miguel, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning.

it's been a week since the body of 32-year-old rebecca zahau was discovered here, but investigators still haven't identified how she died. and just two days before her body was discovered, there was a fatal accident also at this mansion involving a 6-year-old boy, a bizarre set of events that has continued to baffle investigators. the mansion's owner is the multimillionaire ceo of an arizona-based company that sells cosmetic drugs. >> we're going to be hitting the market hard with very favorable data. >> reporter: he has not been seen here since the death of his girlfriend and so far has declined to be interviewed. police say she found her dead body in the mansion, her hands and feet, they say, bound with rope. just 48 hours earlier in the same house, police say his 6-year-old son, max, was found at the bottom of a staircase unconscious and without a pulse. he died this past weekend. >> we have no reason to believe

that it's anything other than a tragic accident at this point. but we are awaiting the results of the corcoroner's inquest. >> reporter: on monday they released reports that showed a series of arguments between him and his wife, deana, in 2008 and 2009. the documents include complaints of violence on both sides. in one, after jonas says deana tried to choke him, deana describes being bitten by his german shepherd in the presence of their child, adding, i feel scared of what he is capable of doing to me physically via the dog as well as the lengths he would go to try to destroy me. no criminal charges were filed. in response, they issued a joint statement saying, quote, these police reports are not reflective of the totality or the precise details of the events during a difficult time in our marriage. he has not issued any statement on the death of rebecca. police say they do not believe he was home when she died. they say it was her brother who

found her body and called 911. >> we have spoken to both brothers, yes, and we have conducted thorough interviews with the brothers and, again, they've been cooperative with us. >> reporter: although police say they found her body naked, her hands bound with a rope behind her back and her feet tied together, too, they have not ruled out the possibility that her death was a suicide. >> we have had cases where people have secured their hands behind their back, or secured their legs. it's not unusual to see cases like that. however, this case is suspicious. there's no question about it. >> reporter: police say they are still looking into the question as to whether these two deaths could be connected. they are asking for patience as they await forensic results to come back from the crime lab. matt? >> miguel almaguer in california this morning on this story. miguel, thanks very much. let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by usaa, proudly serving the men and women who protect our freedom and our families.

>> oh, man, it is sticky out here. we've got some friends here from holland and australia. very nice. you're getting some of our heat. are you enjoying our summer? >> yes, i am. >> there you go. i like the bolo. very nice. let's check your weather, see what's happening. and we've got afternoon temperatures. 80s and 90s into new england. we're looking at 100s as you get into the southwest, midplains, up into the upper mississippi river valley. we are talking heat indices that are on the dangerous side. a risk of strong storms in the northern mississippi river valley. partly sunny skies with a few showers in the pacific northwest where it's much cooler. the gulf coast looking kind of steamy as well. and we've got family with -- what's your names? >> shannon. >> markel. >> and your six kids. wow! that's a lot of tr >> no end to the heat and humidity in site just yen. even today we are expecting high

temperatures across the state, low-to-mid-90's. and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks so much. up next, extreme eating. the meal that's equal to downing two steaks and a side of mashed potatoes right after this. mine was earned over the south pacific in 1943. vietnam, 1967. i got mine in iraq, 2003. u.s.a.a. auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation, because it offers a superior level of protection and because u.s.a.a.'s commitment to serve the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote.

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[ major nutrition ] new ensure high protein. ensure! nutrition in charge! back now at 7:43. and this morning on "today's health," the extreme eating awards. the center nor science and the public interest just released its awards for 2011. listing the most calorie and fat-filled dishes you can order at some of the most popular chain restaurants in the united states. madeline is here, she's "today's" diet and nutrition editor with the latest on these dubious awards. madeline, good morning. >> some prize, huh? >> we should mention that we contacted the chain restaurants. they said that they all serve low-calorie items. but let's get to what they also serve. this is called a farmhouse

burger. it's a burger topped with grilled smoked pork belly, cheddar cheese and a fried egg from the cheesecake factory. 1530 calories, madeline. >> you look at this, we've lost all sense of what a portion is. if it's on the plate, that's a serving. this is breakfast, lunch and dinner in one meal. if you compare this to three giant cheeseburgers, these dig cheeseburgers, one of these used to seem like a supersize burger. so we've lost all sense of portions. this is for three people and adding fries adds another 500 calories. >> unfortunately, it looks really good. let's move on to a fried cheese melt. this doesn't look like it's too much, right? look at this. but it's got four fried mozzarella sticks, melted american cheese between two slices of sourdough bread. >> it doesn't look like a lot, but a small, flimsy slice of cheese. load it up with fried cheese gives you something that doesn't look like a lot, but actually one sandwich is the same as two

personal pan pizzas. this is a serving for two. so if you ate a half a sandwich, that wouldn't be a problem. but people are looking at this. and we don't estimate calories well. you look at this, how many calories could it have? 300 or 400? but it's a lot more. >> 1260 calories. >> provolone-stuffed meatballs from applebee's. >> cheese has become the new condiment. cheese is stuffed everywhere. >> flavor. >> exactly. they have regular meatballs as well, but this is also four cups of pasta. it's four servings with a cream sauce and marinara sauce. it's like eating two big steaks and mashed potatoes. >> that's unbelievable. >> when you look at this, this is two portions. you can see this. this looks look a serving for one because it's in one dish. so if it's a serving for one, people eat the whole thing. >> dangerous. now we've got a red velvet cake. listen to this, red velvet cake

with cheesecake topped with another layer of cake. this also comes from the cheesecake factory. it's 1540 calories for that. >> right. three quarters of a pound. but the serving doesn't look so huge, giant plate, and forks have gotten huge. >> look at that. >> it doesn't look like that much. this is the kind of thing where you take a bite and pass it on. >> yeah. >> but a dessert comes on a big plate with one fork. so you think it's one serving. but this is to be shared by lots of people. >> and you're saying we could eat that much. >> right. that's the comparison of pizza and burgers. it's a lot of calories. >> we don't want to eat that much. you've got a pb & j shake, peanut butter and chocolate shake from stone cold. that's 2010 calories. that's all you can have in one day. >> liquid calories. this is the problem because it doesn't look like a lot. the whole day. downsize these things. >> madeline trying to keep us healthy. thanks for the warning. >> you're welcome. and coming up next, do your kids say you embarrass the heck out of them? we've got a coping guide for

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it was once in the history books, rupert murdoch and his son testifying in front of parliament about that phone-hacking scandal. and it got us thinking about some of the defining moments in u.s. congressional testimony over the years. nbc's jeff rossen takes a look back. good morning to you. >> matt, good morning to you. certainly plenty of it. it is the ultimate hot seat, facing lawmakers under oath, cameras in your face. it's where the rich and powerful

are cut down to size, where sports icons and celebrities are judged. this morning, the greatest hits, if you will, from the hill. >> do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth -- >> reporter: oliver north did it in the '80s. >> i do. i have accepted the responsibility for my role in it. >> reporter: anita hill in the '90s. >> after a brief discussion of work, he would turn the conversation to a discussion of sexual matters. >> reporter: the auto execs did it, asking for a bailout. >> we're here today because we made mistakes. >> reporter: and so did monica lewinsky on videotape. >> from what i learned in that conversation, i thought to myself, i knew i would deny the relationship. >> reporter: testifying under oath has a way of turning untouchable icons -- >> my name is on every car. >> reporter: -- into real people. >> i myself as well as toyota am not perfect. >> reporter: sometimes they band

together like big tobacco. >> i don't believe that nicotine or our products are addictive. >> i believe nicotine is not addictive. >> i believe that nicotine is not addictive. >> reporter: but often it's lonely up there. just ask the former ceo of bp. >> you're copping out. you're the captain of the ship. >> with respect, sir, we draw hundreds of wells a year all around the world. >> reporter: on monday rupert murdoch had his son by his side in the uk, though it was his wife who really came to the rescue when he needed it most. a pie thrown in his face. during the hearing, the billionaire media mogul was very much an 80-year-old man, sitting in judgment. >> this is the most humble day of my life. >> reporter: it's not all bad. sometimes celebrities want to talk. >> i'm one of a million involuntary experts on parkinson's disease. >> reporter: sometimes they don't. baseball legends roger clemens. >> let me be clear, i have never

taken steroids or hgh. >> reporter: bottom line, even if you don't get a pie in the face, it can sure feel like one. >> it's very intense. say why the heat can get so hot that their pants might burst into flames. >> and what you say to congress can come back to bite you. after the testimony we showed by roger clemens, he was charged with perjury. he's currently fighting those allegations. there was recently a mistrial, matt, but he may be tried again. >> an interesting look back. jeff rossen, thank you very much. and still ahead this morning, standing by her man. a closer look at wendy murdoch who jumped in to protect her 80-year-old husband, rupert, on tuesday. pretty dramatic image. her moves coming up right after your local news.

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. time for another check of the morning commute. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> we are looking at a pretty busy ride with a couple of accidents coming in. one at silver spring and honeygo boulevard. delays are starting to fall into place. southbound 95 out of white marsh towards the beltway, merging onto the beltway apparently pretty difficult. a viewer checked in on facebook saying it is pretty backed up. once you get on the ellipse, the delays this towards york road.

we are looking at delays on the west side. from security down to edmondson, not as bad as we see on this map here. this is what it looks like at old court. moving a lot better than last check. delays start to fall into place from security to edmondson. live view at harford, we are pretty backed up on the outer loop towards york road. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava, over to you. >> 77 at the airport. sunshine, but fairly izzy. that is the big story throughout the day. hazy sunshine throughout. isolated storms throughout the afternoon. the-to-mid-90's. seven-day forecast looks to be a hot one. the upper 90s thursday through saturday. heat index near 110. stay cool. >> check the bottom of your

screen for updated news and traffic information. back at 8:25 with another live update.

♪ driving around town with the girl i love ♪ ♪ and i'm like forget you 8:00 now on a wednesday morning, the 20th day of july, 2011. we've already talked about the heat. but it's also a beautiful, sunny day here in midtown manhattan. a nice crowd to go along with the weather. today we're listening to the music of cee lo green. this is a way of reminding that friday morning that man right there will be putting on a concert on our concert stage. he'll be saying "forget you" and other things. >> his new song, "bright lights big city." >> he's a lot of fun, great musician. cee lo green live on the plaza

friday morning right here on "today." live on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker. and coming up, how often -- you have kids who are a little older. you have children kind of my kids' age. how often do you embarrass your kids? >> i would say at least once a week, and usually it's because i like to hug them. and it's really hard to know when they want a hug and when they don't want a hug. usually they don't want a hug because they're teenagers. >> basically whenever i'm awake. >> do you do some things on purpose? >> yes, i do. >> well, it is a problem a lot of parents have. they're constantly being told by their kids, mom, dad, you embarrass me. what do you do? how do you keep the peace in your house? we'll be talking about that. also this morning, we'll find out more about wendi murdoch, the one who yesterday at the hearing jumped up and protected her husband from a cream pie that was being thrown at his face during that phone-hacking scandal hearing. so we're going to find out a little bit more about her. she has an interesting back

story. and then later on, we'll get to the new ten rules of the road when you're eating out at restaurants. there's some new etiquette out there. >> that's right. and some of them shake up the old norm. >> and norm will be along, too. hey, norm, how you doing? let's go inside to the news desk to savannah guthrie filling in while natalie's off. >> good morning. in the news, british prime minister david cameron told an emergency session of parliament today that his former press aide, andy colson, is innocent until proven guilty. colson, a one-time tabloid editor, is among those arrested in the phone-hacking scandal that's consumed great britain. on tuesday, rupert murdoch refused to take the blame for hacking at his "news of the world" tabloid. in washington there are new signs of compromise on a long-term deal to reduce the federal deficit. president obama voiced early support for a plan unveiled by a bipartisan group of senators. it would cut the deficit by almost $4 trillion over the

coming decade. 32 states from the northern plains to new england are under heat advisories today. at least a dozen deaths are being blamed on this week's high temperatures and humidity. the heat is causing roads to buckle and is straining utility companies to their limits, especially as customers crank up the air conditioning. now to wall street. cnbc's melissa francis is at the new york stock exchange. yesterday the biggest day for the dow so far this year. what do we expect today? >> that's right, 202 points, 2.2% on the nasdaq. it's likely to continue today after apple turned in blockbuster earnings results after the bell yesterday. profit more than doubling. they sold 20 million iphones, almost 10 million ipads. also a short time ago american airlines announcing the largest aircraft order in history. very bullish for the economy and manufacturing. back to you. >> melissa, thank you. now a quick roundup of what has you talking online. bloggers in wendi murdoch's

native china have dubbed her smack-down sister after the walloping seen around the record. she lunged at the pie thrower on tuesday. her story coming up. on yahoo! people are reading about the ultimate dropped call. a skydiver's iphone fell out of his pocket and crash landed on a building, but it's still working. despite the shattered glass. and the latest attempted break-in at the theater where david letterman takes his show. it's all the talk in the blogosphere. the culprit? none other than our very own matt lauer. moonlighting in a "letterman" bit last night. it's now 8:04. back to ann and academy award winner matt lauer. >> wow! >> it was a lifelong dream to try and break into that theater. >> all you had to do was open the door. >> no, no, no, just a little fun with dave.

anyway, savannah, thank you very much. it was hot trying to break into that theater last night. it's even hotter today. >> that's right. actually, letterman's studio is about 55 degrees. >> i know it. >> let's check your weather and show you what's happening. pick city today, orlando, florida. nbc 2. sunny, hot. 95 degrees. man! and the rest of the country going to be following more of the same. we've got a severe thunderstorm watch throughout parts of the dakotas and montana through 1:00 this afternoon. we've got the heat continuing to build. dangerous record high temperatures with heat indices well over 110 degrees from the upper great lakes all the way down into the gulf, the plains on into the mid-atlantic states as well. that's what's going on around o >> it is going to be another hot day. isolated chance for thunderstorms in the afternoon.

and that's your latest weather. >> all right, mr. roker. when we come back, a little more on wendi murdoch. she jumped into action when someone tried to throw a pie at her husband in front of parliament. we'll tell you more about her right after these messages. [ engine revving ] [ male announcer ] 125 years ago... we invented the automobile. ♪ and 80,000 patents later, we're still reinventing it. ♪ it's no coincidence that the oldest car company has the youngest and freshest line in the luxury class. mercedes-benz. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers on the e-class. ♪ and i count on social security.

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back now at 8:09 with more on wendi murdoch. she sprung into action when someone tried to attack her husband, rupert, with a shaving cream pie during his testimony on tuesday. our andrea mitchell has a closer look at this. good morning. >> good morning, ann. friends say she has been telling associates for weeks that her husband's tabloid did not do anything that isn't common practice. and at his hearing, wendi murdoch certainly showed the world how far she'll go to protect the media tycoon. when that self-described comedian went after rupert murdoch with a cream-filled pie. >> reporter: she had her husband's back from the beginning. at times leaning forward as if willing rupe either murdoch on. and when it counted, leaping forward. young, athletic, a former volleyball player in high school, aggressively protecting her 80-year-old husband from the pie-throwing attacker. >> watching him so carefully that she was the first to be able to get up and before the police or before anyone else swat away this aggressor.

>> reporter: she is rupert murdoch's glamorous chinese-born third wife, widely viewed as a huge asset to his businesses in china and in social and charitable circles here in the u.s. now she's a standout even among business and political elite. 38 years younger than the media baron, she first met him when she was a young executive in one of his tv operations in hong ko kong. now married for 12 years, the union was at first controversial. rupert murdoch's 102-year-old mother once called her new daughter-in-law a designing woman, especially when wendi challenged her husband's adult children, fighting so that her two young daughters with murdoch would also get a stake in the company. murdoch with charlie rose. >> our children, we try to combine the best of chinese and the best of american methods to teach them. >> reporter: and there is her history. coming to the u.s. on a student visa. then marrying her first husband, a man who, with his wife, had sponsored wendi.

as first reported in "the wall street journal." >> wendi, who was a teenager at the time, had an affair with the father of her sort of adopted father. and the two of them ended up getting married for long enough for her to get a green card. >> reporter: now she is a force herself. only last week releasing a movie she's produced for her husband's 20th century fox. >> she's a powerful advocate for her husband, for his interests, and for herself. >> reporter: a powerful defender of her husband -- >> mr. murdoch, your wife has a very good left hook. >> reporter: as the whole world has now seen. well, it was actually a right hook, but who's counting? today someone admiringly tagged her crouching tiger, flying wendi. a woman who no matter what happens to rupert murdoch, a fighter to the end. in china today they're calling her smack-down sister. >> that's right. thank you so much this morning.

gabriel sherman is contributing editor for "new york" magazine. he wrote a cover story on rupert murdoch earlier this year. and melinda lu for the daily beast. good morning to both of you. >> thank you. >> were you surprised that wendi murdoch is a smack-down sister? >> not really. she is a forceful, powerful, independent, strong-willed woman. and this is who she is. >> designing woman or woman in love protecting her 80-year-old husband? >> i think absolutely both. those two things. also a volleyball player. so that was like a total spike. >> you could see it. >> totally. >> she's 42, he's 80 years old. and you have gotten, over the course of the past year, to kind of see her face to face. what can you tell us that we don't know about wendi murdoch? >> she is one tough lady. she might look slim, demure, as she sat behind murdoch at the hearing, but she is really tough. her name, when she was born, was not wendi, which it is now. it was wenga which means

cultural revolution. she was named after the cultural revoluti revolution, the most blood-thirsty, tumultuous, radical period in chinese history. that was china when she was a kid. >> it was amazing, i saw her at a charity event in d.c. this spring. and she was in front of hundreds of people. she has a very thick chinese accent. and she was giving a public address and just plowed right through it. wasn't deterred. everyone was sort of talking and distracted. and she just was, you know, up there, was not slowed down at all. >> so what is her focus? what is her end game? >> she's now the mother of two small children. i think she's very, very focused on making sure those two daughters have the best possible life, you know. as she has. i mean, she's got the american dream. and she wants to make sure that continues. >> tiger mom. >> she's really sort of stepped away from the company. there was a lot of speculation earlier on that she wanted to play an active role in the company. and she's very devoted to her children and their social life. celebrity circles. she's introduced murdoch to a

celebrity world that for much of his life he had no interest in. >> there is some reporting that she changed him, the color of his hair. >> he was dressing in jeans with converse sneakers. he was seen at downtown restaurants. this is an entirely different type of rupert murdoch than media watchers had seen for decades. it's fascinating this one woman has so much influence on this very powerful man. >> does she have influence on him even behind the scenes in terms of his mass business? >> yeah, she's a very active voice for him to get involved in the internet. she's friends with the founders of google, sergey brin. she was behind his myspace, murdoch's myspace acquisition. so she's really trying to push him into the future. >> and in terms of his relationships, her relationships, rather, with his older children. is it true that there is this harmony there? how much? >> on the surface, they're

courteous. behind the scenes, there's got to be tension. her children are her focus. >> wasn't there a sort of battle? >> she did. when i interviewed rupert murdoch's mother in 2010, she told me on the record that she hopes that wendi and rupert's children have no role in the company. and she said very directly that i don't want grace or chloe to have a role, future role, in the company. so there is family split over wendi's presence in the family. >> do you agree with michael wolff who we heard earlier in the broadcast who's written a biography about rupert murdoch that this moment that we've been playing over and over and over again, the fact that we're talking about wendi murdoch is pretty much the best gift to one of the most, you know, bedeviled? >> it's an amazing pr move. they couldn't act in a certain way for better pr. it changed the entire narrative of the hearing. we're talking about the sort of sympathetic moment of her standing up for murdoch. where if that never happened, we would have been talking about all of the hacking allegations. >> so designing woman, as you put it, who is now considered a

strong woman. >> designing but there is genuine chemistry between these two. it's not just a cynical pair. >> no, there's a deep fondness there. she loves rupert. >> they call each other constantly. she wants to make sure his tie is straight when he goes to interview the prime minister of china, that sort of thing. >> melinda lou and gabriel, thank you so much. interesting perspective talking to you both. and coming up next, getting along with your kids even when they're totally embarrassed to be anywhere near you. but first, these messages. [ girl ] bye mom! bye sweetie! you'll do great.

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this morning on "today's parenting," embarrassing your kids. no matter how cool you think you are, it's inevitable that you're going to make them cringe at some point in their lives. >> my mom embarrasses me when she sings a lot in the car when my friends are there. >> my mom takes pictures of me when i'm sleeping. she shows all my friends. >> the thing that my mom does that embarrasses me, she always looks on my facebook page. >> i get embarrassed when my mom dances with me really weirdly and it's, like, really embarrassing. >> i was playing a baseball game, and my mom was holding my phone. and i got a text from one of my friends. and my mom actually answered back. >> my friends always do this to me. >> i had an intervention with her one day.

i said no more facebook posting, no more liking, nothing. i laid down the law and said no. >> i said to my mom, stop dancing, like, weird and stuff. i know peopwho people are, so i kind of embarrassing. >> my mom says, i'm just leaving. >> so how do we make sure that parents and children survive all this? ronny is a clinical psychologist and phillip writes the social cues column for "the new york times." good morning to both of you. i read the notes on this last night. i called my son and said, do i embarrass you? he said no, papa, you don't. is it about 10, 11 years old? >> it can start at 10 or 11, but it usually gets worse around puberty because that's when kids become self-conscious. they think the world is looking at them and judging them and by

extension looking at you and judging them. >> does it happen with all kids? and if it does, does that mean the parents aren't really to blame? >> our parents don't press our buttons. they invented our buttockns. it's inevitable. >> tell people what embarrassed your daughter. >> could you stop breathing so loud? >> which is better than, could you stop breathing? >> true, true. that's coming, though, right, ronnie? >> do we have to take this seriously? i mean, does it do harm to them if they're embarrassed? is it going to present problems down the road? or is this just a fact a part of growing up? >> it's absolutely inevitable. make no mistake, every kid is going to be embarrassed by their parents. but what they're embarrassed about can range from serious things like we saw parents who don't respect boundaries to trivial things like the way mom opens up her pocketbook or breathing and things like that. you really have to make a distinction. >> and it's one thing, i think, if you inadvertently embarrass

your children. it's another -- and there are some parents, and i've been guilty of this, too -- i go out of my way to kind of tweak my kids a little bit, trying to kind of build a crust in them. but i embarrass them sometimes on purpose. >> oh, absolutely. and it's a terrific thing. it's a terrific thing for them to go back and forth with you that way. one of the new things, since we were all kids, one of the new things that happens is technology. moms and dads infiltrating their kids' facebook pages and friending their friends, telling their kids -- >> secrets about them. >> yeah. >> i mean, that is completely crossing the line. >> but it's not going to -- and no one's going to end up in an institution. >> that is invasive. >>en invasive and i think violates your kid' privacy. the most important thing is you want to preserve the relationship with your child. >> let's say i take them to school and i give each wuch them a huge hug. after school one of them comes up to me after school and says dad, papa, that embarrasses me.

how do i handle that? >> it depends. you can ask them, why does that embarrass you? when kids are really embarrassed by simple things like that, is it really that big of deal to you to do that? a lot of kids will ask the parents, take me to school but drop me off at the corner. >> so listen respectfully, do a little soul searching. >> yeah, do a little soul searching because are you the parent, for example, who is crossing the boundary? are you the mom who's wearing inappropriate clothing? are you the dad who's trying too hard with your kid? if you are, make some change. >> don't take it too personally. >> right. if it's not your thing, then let it go. >> and taking a beat is really, really important. not responding too quickly because our kids can make us as defensive as anybody else can, more defensive, probably, than anyone else can. so better to just -- what i say in my column all the time is really try to be silent for a while. think about it. then go back. >> all right. good information. and it's going to happen to every single parent. >> inevitably. >> thanks so much. coming up, how to be polite

when you're eating at a restaurant. but first your local news. >> live, local, latebreaking. this wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> new accident coming into us at dulaney valley road and jarrettsville pike. it does involve an overturned vehicle. that is the latest to watch for. there is one at silver spring and honeygo boulevard in nottingham. that should be wrapped up shortly. southbound 95 at white marsh towards the beltway northeast. once you get on to the northeast side, stop and go traffic on the outer loop. if you are going to have out in

dundalk, another accident happened now. delays just starting to ease up on the west side outer loop. right around 9-1/7, outer loop towards edmondson. here is what looks like a baltimore national pike. coming towards us, out of traffic looking sluggish. a lot heavier as research to a live view of traffic in the area of belair road. just beyond belair road, harford road, york road, holding out to the outer loop north side delays. >> on the traffic cameras, you can see that it is hazy out right now. although sunshine is in full force, having a hard time getting through the humidity in the atmosphere. high temperatures, 90-95. isolated thunderstorms possible in the afternoon. temperatures kick up more in the late week. up near 100 agrees with the high humidity. heat index near 110, one under 15. keep in mind.

>> we will have another update at 8:55. hey parents, it's going to be a big school year.

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♪ it's all right ♪ it's all right ♪ it's all right 8:30 now on this wednesday morning, july 20th, 2011. our friends out on the plaza are jamming to the song "bright lights and bigger city" by this friday's summer concert star, the one and only cee lo green, you guys. >> it's going to be hot.

we're also talking about this weekend, we're going to show you how to get a little bit of a korean twist courtesy of mr. mark fisher. >> okay. that sounds like a lot of fun. >> last time he was here. >> by "we," you mean you. >> that avocado popsicle. >> absolutely. he's recovered. >> what else is coming up? you want to go out, we're going to have the new restaurant etiquette. top-ten tips including who pays? who opens the door? we'll get you all ready to go out for dinner. okay. but first let's bring in ryan gosling and emma stone. they are in this new movie that is so great called "crazy stupid love." good morning, both of you. >> hi, guys. >> great to have you. welcome, welcome. well, bottom line is, ryan, you play this gorgeous hunk of man candy in this movie that every woman loves. why did you choose a role of

this type? >> he's a bashful guy. >> i wanted to work with steve carell. >> yes. >> when i was 17, i got one of my first jobs in a pilot with him. i didn't get to work with him, but he was so funny. at one point the boom guy dropped the boom just to have a laugh attack in the middle of the scene. and i thought, i have to work with this guy. i've just been following him ever since. >> you've been following him in a weird way, by the way, stalking him. your main nude scene in this movie is not with this lovely young lady right here, it's with steve carell. >> yeah. buzz kill. total buzz kill. i don't know how to explain myself. >> the cast is great. when you look at steve carell and julianne moore and marisa tomei. >> it was pretty incredible. and this guy, this guy over here, it was really fantastic. it was a lot of fun. this may be one of my favorite movies i've ever done.

>> lauren bacall. give us a little taste of that. >> right now? my favorite time of day is night. >> that's pretty good. >> that's good. >> and we hear at 15 you tauglk your parents into going to hollywood on a power-point presentation. >> thank you. >> what was your sales pitch? >> i just remember there was a lot of alliteration. as convincing as possible. >> i saw this movie yesterday, and it's so fun. you made me cry. you made me laugh. this is a great movie. i have a feeling that a lot of people are going to really love it. congratulations to you guys. >> thanks. >> thank you. >> she doesn't like anything. >> i'm picky. >> she was talking about your dirty dancing moves. would you show us those? >> you want to try? >> sure. yeah, come on, ann. >> no, no, no, no, no.

>> yeah. >> i'm going to quick change the subject. >> go ahead. >> really? >> no. >> you've got to really run. >> you've got to get some momentum. >> and i landed on his foot. one more time. >> push up. [ cheers and applause ] >> oh! >> they'll be in the catskills later this week. >> nobody puts ryan in the corner! >> good luck with the movie, guys. all right. mr. roker, if you can recover, how about a check of the weather? >> that's what's going on around the country.un >> no end to the heat and humidity in site just yen. even today we are expecting high

temperatures across the state, low-to-mid-90's. that's your latest weather. >> can i tell you something? >> sure, you can. >> did you know that emma was once a 10-year-old in our crowd? >> her grandmother brought her by. >> you know, you may have a future like emma stone. anyway. >> you've come full circle, no question. when we come back, barbecue with a twist. first, this is "today" on nbc. ring ring progresso

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♪ this morning on "how to cook everything," steak barbecue with a korean twist. we've got mark of "new york times," the columnist and also the author of "how to cook everything" cookbook. mark, good morning to you. >> hi, ann. >> i love korean barbecue. i think it's something that most people have probably not discovered all across the country. and when they do, it's something they discover in a restaurant. but you say we can make this tasty morsel at home. >> it's pretty easy and essentially grilled steak. it doesn't go much beyond that. >> there are certain flavors. >> well, you can start with skirt steak, sirloin, short ribs and ribeye. and my favorite for this is ribeye. short is most traditional in korean restaurants. you cut it into strips. >> you can have the butcher do that. >> you can buy it that way, yes.

actually, it's a little easier to slice. so some scallions in here, soy sauce. we're making a marinade. >> i see some garlic. >> a lot of garlic. some sugar. because it tends to be a little sweet. >> a lot of black pepper. >> and sesame oil. a little sesame oil. >> there we go. >> we pray to the blender gods here. there we go. so you puree that. just get it liquid. >> you've got a really tasty garlicky soy saucy kind of flavor there. peppery, intense flavor. how long? >> we'll try not to spill this on your shoes. >> good because they're pink and i want to keep them that way. how long? >> could be half hour, two hours, overnight. >> is it better overnight? >> i would say an hour is fine. overnight, maybe a little built b bit better. >> after a while it starts to look like this. >> the juices come out, more

liquid. and you start -- you just start grilling which, obviously, we've done. >> okay. >> and then you get these really nice strips of beautifully browned meat. and what you do with them is you put them in lettuce leaves. >> okay. so you have a faux sense of healthy food here. >> but you're not using a ton of meat. >> i know, i know. it's about you eating a small amount. >> and then what we use for -- or what is often used for dipping sauce is some sort of special korean con conducticocn. but what we've done is a very interesting mixture of ketchup, soy sauce and chili. and you're welcome to taste that. or you're actually welcome if you want to try one of these. >> hey, that's good. >> but we'll move on. >> all right. okay. >> so when you eat this kind of stuff in a korean restaurant, you often have lots of very cool side dishes. so we've got a couple here.

one is -- it's good, right? >> mm-hmm. really good. just enough meat. very, very flavorful. a little bit of crunch. with the lettuce. >> yeah, the lettuce is great. it's like a taco but with lettuce as the shell. so this is just regular mayonnaise. we're going to thin it a bit with rice vinegar. this is kind of a korean potato salad. it's not that different. a couple kinds of potatoes here and some carrots and some peas. >> and they're all sort of blanched. >> it's better that way. i mean let's go this way. >> okay. so with the rice vinegar, not regular vinegar, and mayonnaise. toss it all together. >> do some scallions in here. >> pretty. pretty. it starts to end up looking like this pretty little dish here. >> a little chives on top. >> this is a side dish. in addition, you also have -- it looks to me like some roasted or grilled shallots. >> grilled scallions. >> scallions, i mean.

>> they grill beautifully. we're just dressing them with a little bit of chili and sesame seeds. >> mark bittman. we should have matt try this. >> we should have matt try this. >> he's a picky eater. much more coming up including the ten ways to be polite. one of them is not speaking with food in your mouth. this is "today" on nbc!

it used to be when you went out to dinner, women ordered first, men paid and you were required to wear a sport jacket. times have changed. tim zaga tfrkt is here with ten rules for dining-out etiquette. nice to see you. this is the first time you've done an etiquette survey, isn't it? >> absolutely. >> why did you decide this was the right time? >> we just decided in a world of using cell phones to make ord s

orders, reservations online, that it was about time we looked at the whole thing. >> let's get to the rules. the first one is about equality. are men and women treated differently in restaurants? what do the people in the survey say about this? >> well, they say they should be, obviously. >> should be treated equally. >> but they're not. 24% of surveyors say women are treated less well. so the restaurants sort of changed that. >> one of the reasons that has happened is an outdated idea that men pay the bill. that means men with going to do the tipping and the waiters and staff treat the men better. >> absolutely wrong. however, now we say that whoever starts -- whoever initiates the date should pay for it unless you agree in advance. >> that's right. so if i call you and i say tim, let's go have dinner, i'm expected to pay the bill because i arranged the dinner? >> that's right. >> okay. the next rule. who should order a meal first? you're sitting around the table. you've all got your menus. the waiter comes up.

do women go first? >> that has always been that women go first. but that's no favor to women. if you're trying to be chivalrous, whoever's ready should go first. >> because menus can be complicated. and you can buy your companion little time if you already know what you're going to order. >> in fact, most people like to go last. >> yeah, probably. okay. this one got people going. we're connected 24/7. you mentioned the cell phones and the blackberrys. what about using them at the dinner table in a restaurant? >> don't. two-thirds of people think it's rude. and 70% think you should turn off your ringer. >> wait a second. if i'm sitting at a table and you're late for dinner and i'm there alone, i can't text while i'm by myself at the table? >> you can do it if you're alone. but once you're sitting at a table with others, you shouldn't. >> what about turn off the ringer? i'm a parent. i've got three kids at home with the baby-sitter. >> turn the vibrator on. >> it's all about vibration. question for parents, is it okay to bring your kids?

>> any restaurant not meant to be romantic or a very quiet place, you can bring your kids. in fact, 38% say bring them from birth. and 38% more say from 5 years old. >> so as long as you're not going to disrupt the dining experience or the romantic experience of other people in the restaurant, it's okay to bring kids? >> unless the restaurant says no. and 60% of people say it's okay if the restaurant wants to say no. >> let's talk about attire. it seems these days fewer and fewer restaurants require a jacket, and even fewer still, a jacket and tie. what's the proper attire when dining ñ >> don't be a slob. that's proper. >> basically as simple as that. something neat that's appropriate. >> yes. and if you have somebody you want to impress and you think it's a businessperson or a romantic interest, you might want to depress up for that. >> by the way, if you wear a sport jacket to dinner and it gets warm or uncomfortable, you can put it on the back of your chair after you've arrived. we all lead busy lives. what about folks who simply don't show up for a dinner reservation? >> one of the worst things you

can do is not to show up and not to call the restaurant. you're causing them a lot of grief and a lot of expense. if you don't do it, you're likely to be persona non grata and not received in the future. >> call and cancel in a timely fashion. i like this next question. can you overstay your welcome at a restaurant? in other words, is there a ticking clock that gives you a limit? >> no ticking clock. you should be able to stay and feel comfortable eating your dessert and your cognac after. but if you see there's a line of people waiting, just remember, you may be on that line next time. >> yeah. >> try to be sensitive to other people being backed up. >> and real quickly, skipping to the very last one, is the customer always right? in my opinion the customer should be right. >> there are two rules for restaurants, the customer is always right. and number two is when the customer is wrong, just read rule one. >> the customer's always right. tim zagat, thanks very much. appreciate it.

up next, a new workout craze for an unlikely group of people. we'll tell you about that. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

[ female announcer ] have you ever seen a glacier while sunbathing? why not? have you ever climbed a rock wall in the middle of the ocean? or tried something really wild? why not? it's all possible in the nation of why not. royal caribbean's floating nation. where you are free to do anything you want. which may be nothing at all. royal caribbean international. why not cruise from baltimore? visit royalcaribbean.com today. have you hashd heard of a thing called zumba? it's a dance craze sweeping the nation. it's not just young people enjoying it anymore. we have "today" national

correspondent amy robach here. >> that didn't sound right. you're a young person. >> the young people. >> all right. the young people. >> that's the story. >> all right. it is called zumba gold, gold as in the golden years for the 50-plus crowd. it's getting baby boomers to boogie across the country. ♪ >> reporter: there is music. >> yeah! >> reporter: dancing. laughing. even a little flirting. >> we come for the women. >> oh. stunning. >> reporter: you may have heard of zumba, a latin-based dance and fitness program, but this is zumba gold. from 50 all the way to 90-plus, it brings 80-year-old judy ro n rosendlum to class twice a week. >> i feel good. i feel like i'm doing something good for me. >> reporter: 92-year-old rachel has never missed a class. >> stimulating. it makes you move because if you don't use it, you're going to lose it. >> reporter: these women and men

all say they don't feel an age when they're on the dance floor. something that founder joy prouti keeps them all coming back. >> what's unique about the program is everyone can do it. we try to make you feel very safe. the biggest thing we say, come in and smile. move just a little. pace yourself. we even offer people to sit down in a chair. >> reporter: that's exactly what jeania burke does. she'll admit she's 90-plus, but -- how old do you feel when you're doing zumba gold? >> 60. >> reporter: i love it. it shares at least 30 years, right? >> exactly. >> they grew up dancing. they love to move. they love the rhythm. so they're exercising. they don't even know it. it's sort of exercise in disguise. >> reporter: exercise in disguise? that sounded too good to pass up. >> if she comes back tomorrow, i'm coming again. i'll tell you that much right now. >> reporter: so i jumped into class with a few moves from some new friends. >> have you figured out the

moves? are you ready to join the class? >> reporter: am i ready? >> yes! >> reporter: i ran off to look the part. and now it was time to feel the beat. and it was nonstop fun. ♪ where did you learn those moves? >> there's something magical about music and being able to move to it and feeling that there's no right and wrong. you have fun. you move. and there are so many benefits that are attached to that. >> reporter: even life-saving benefits. 72-year-old rose credits zumba gold with saving her life after triple bypass surgery. >> this has really helped me and has helped me afterwards to give me more energy. it made me lose weight. i'm more conscious of what i eat and what i do. >> reporter: something many seniors haven't felt excited about in years. it helps them enjoy a life where

sitting around is not an option. >> zumba! >> and after working out with all those golden girls and boys, it was incredible to see how fun and exercise can go hand in hand even well into your 90s. >> well done. well done. >> no, it was fine. we could even run it again if you want. it was just perfect. that's good. okay. >> i brought headbands for all of you. >> thank you. meantime -- >> meantime, it's a big day around here. the 20th of july. >> that's right. >> that also makes it jim bell's birthday, our executive producer, down in the control room right now in his fearless leader's seat is having a birthday. jim? >> thank you, matt. >> by the way, we've got a plate coming down for the rest of the people down there. >> zumba. >> happy birthday, buddy. many happy returns. >> thank you very much. >> one year closer to zumba

gold. >> or looking like howie. >> i don't know what's more fun, keep the camera on jim or go back to amy. >> let's do both. can we do a split screen? >> jim's the one who gets to make the final call, so i think it's going to be on amy. >> happy birthday, jim. >> amy, thanks very much. coming up, we'll have some answers to your money emergencies on today's "money 911." plus, the best beauty products at discount prices. >> it's all coming up after your local news and weather. >> one bite. >> come on, jim. yeah! yeah!

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. the baltimore city police officer shot while on duty has been released from shock trauma. just before midnight, the 24- year-old officer responded to cooks lane for a domestic violence call. we are told that the officer was shot in the hip as he stepped out of the vehicle. anyone with information is asked

>> now let's take a look at the forecast with ava marie. >> the heat and humidity making

headlines. at least today we are up to about 90-95 degrees. mostly sunny skies, isolated thunderstorms into the afternoon. humidity could make it feel close to 100 this afternoon. it will feel hotter than at the next couple of days. thursday to saturday, and highs near 99. when you factor in that humidity, a heat index of about 110, maybe 115 in some locations. a break early next week. until then, drink plenty of water, to stay inside of possible. >> we will have another weather update at 9:25.

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